Revival Season 1 Episode 8 Review: A Rose and a Thorn

Viewers finally get the scoop on the Blackdeer case on Revival Season 1 Episode 8, “A Rose and a Thorn,” as the series flashes back to before Revival Day. 

Revival Season 1, Episode 7, “Too Many Secrets,” finally put the Blackdeer case front and center. It directly connects that case to Em’s murder and, almost certainly, Revival Day itself. 

Until that episode, the case was mainly a sore subject from Dana’s past and a point of conflict between Wayne and Dana. Hints about the case were dropped here and there. Enough so that it was pretty obvious it would eventually be an important part of the story.

With so much other stuff going on in the present, however, the Blackdeer case mostly stayed in the periphery.

It makes sense, then, that after establishing the Blackdeer case as a significant part of the puzzle, the series would expand on what happened during the initial investigation on “A Rose and a Thorn.”

They do this mostly through flashbacks. First, the episode flashes back to Rose Blackdeer’s murder and then to shortly before Revival Day, when Brent murders Jesse.

The flashbacks obviously fill in some important blanks for viewers. They also establish connections that will likely prove significant as the story races toward its season finale. 

One of the most interesting parts of the flashback is when Dana goes to question Blaine about Rose Blackdear. 

Two things in particular stand out about that scene. First, there is Blaine’s reaction to the name Cypress and his distrust of Dana’s family. This isn’t the first time we’ve gotten hints about a rocky history between Blaine and the Cypresses. 

Wayne clearly didn’t trust the man when he saw him on Revival Season 1 Episode 2, “Keeping Up Appearances.” At the time, it seemed like the two had had a few run-ins before Revival Day. However, as the season progressed, it was easy to write that off since Blaine is a pretty well-known and divisive figure in the community. 

Blaine’s comment about not trusting a Cypress is a clear indication that the bad blood between Blaine and the Cypresses is much more personal than that. 

It’s also apparent after the flashbacks that Blaine and his family have a habit of getting into confrontations with people in Wausau. On “Too Many Secrets,” Blaine mentions restoring his family’s reputation. Then, on “A Rose and a Thorn,” Uncle Don says that the tribe has had land disputes with Blaine’s family for decades. 

It wouldn’t be surprising if all the different beefs Blaine and the Abel family have with people in town somehow connect to Revival Day. 

The other thing that stands out about the scene with Blaine and Dana is how different the Blaine of two years ago is from the one we see in the present.

His relationship with Rose is creepy, even if we are to believe him that it wasn’t sexual. But he is creepy in a sort of run-of-the-mill loser kind of way. Not in the demogauge cult leader kind of way.

What could have possibly happened in the two years between Rose’s murder and Revival Day to create the wannabe (and perhaps will be) super villain he is now?

Much of the episode points to Blaine as Rose’s killer. By the end of the episode, we confirm that he isn’t the one who kidnaps Rose from the bus stop. That was good old Aaron. But if Em’s murderer is the same as Rose’s, we know Aaron didn’t kill Rose.

Being the peach of a guy he was, Aaron definitely facilitated both murderers. However, from Em’s vision, we know he didn’t kill her, so that rules him out as Rose’s killer as well.

It could be Blaine. Blaine could have hired Aaron to bring Rose to him and killed her. Jesse does find her body in a car in his yard, which is some pretty damning evidence. 

Still, my money is on Blaine being more of an opportunist than a mastermind. I don’t think he killed Rose. I’m not even sure we can assume he knew her body was in that car. 

The flashback scenes on “A Rose and a Thorn” are solid and informative. However, it’s the scenes in the present during the second half of the episode that elevate it to the level we’ve come to expect from Revival.

Everything following the flashbacks is exceptional, especially the scene where Jesse finds his daughter’s body and brings it back to the camp.

From an investigative perspective, I’m not sure burning a body that is probably still evidence is the best move, but from an emotional and character perspective, that closure is perfect. 

That sequence of events also gives us another interaction between one of the light creatures and a reviver. This time, it’s Jesse’s turn to disappear.

I think the light creature at the end of the episode is the same one Blaine captured, and the one that leads Jesse to Rose’s body earlier on the episode. I’m not entirely sure if I’m right on that, so I apologize in advance if I’ve misinterpreted something.

If I’m right, that means Blaine’s secret source of power is gone. Maybe that means his grand plan is foiled before it even gets started. Or, maybe we are about to see a much more desperate and reckless Blaine trying to recapture what he lost. 

As for light creatures and revivers, we’ve now seen three revivers disappear when they interact with the light creature. For two of them, it is a peaceful and welcome thing, with the third seeming to be an outlier.

I’m desperate to know both how the revivers and the creatures are connected and how Blaine is manipulating them.

It seems like every reviver has their own light creature. I wonder if each reviver coming back to life created a light creature. Or, maybe the light creatures are a part of the reviver that got separated when they revived. 

Whatever it is, I hope we get more answers soon because there are only two episodes left, and there is still so much we don’t know.

Stray Thoughts

• I’m glad to see May Tao getting an expanded role during the second half of the season. I liked her right away, so it’s great to see her as an ally now.
• Oh, Rhodey, I was just starting to like you. It’s hard to blame him for turning Em in, but I knew he was too perfect to be true.
• The parallel between Jesse’s overprotective relationship with Rose and Wayne’s overprotective relationship with Em is fascinating. 
• The reveal about Brent’s twin brother is intriguing. I wonder if that will be important later on or if they just want to have the option to bring that actor back.
• I really missed Ibrahim in this episode. 
• Another character I’d like to see more of is Aaron’s wife, Nithiya. Given that Aaron played a significant role in both murders and that they spent a considerable amount of time building Nithiya up, I’m hopeful we’ll see her again before the end of the season. 
• Obligatory statement that Melanie Scrofano is really, REALLY good. Her scene with Jesse, when she lets him go, and the one where she tries to stop him from going after Blaine, are two of the best emotional beats of the episode.

---

What did you think of this episode of Revival? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!

Critic Rating:

Audience Rating:

 

Revival airs Thursdays at 10/9c on Syfy.

Check out our latest TV recommendations, updated weekly!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!